


much ado about nothing.

by arurun



Series: not so human after all. [5]
Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Blue is the guy and Green is the girl, Body Horror, Canon-Typical Violence, Drabble Sequence, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Injury Recovery, Near Death Experiences, Non-Linear Narrative, Team as Family, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, and Silver would have fangs etc, basically their bodies change to match their starters, so Blue has wings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:33:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27124562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arurun/pseuds/arurun
Summary: The Dex Holders are always at the crux of a region-wide calamity, as fate dictates. But along with destiny, comes curse.Red sleeps in the sunlight, Blue struggles to cope with wings, and Green can't quite drown.
Series: not so human after all. [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1634437
Comments: 5
Kudos: 55





	1. Kanto Dex Holders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just something. First time I'm writing for so many Pokespe characters, so might be OOC.

First to show signs was Blue.

Though it wasn’t much of a difference between him and Red, he had definitely been the first Dex Holder of them all-- and apparently, to this weird disease, (for lack of a better term), that meant something.

He spent the night at the Pokemon Centre, only to wake up to the concerned expressions of one of the other bunkers in the place.

His body temperature was high enough for a very, very worrying fever.

But Blue felt perfectly fine. After assuring them and the Nurse Joy that he’d be alright, (though he couldn’t refuse the medicine they got for him,) he left the town not thinking much of it. 

When he rubbed his hand against his wrist-- he couldn’t help but notice his watch no longer fit well. 

His wrists were in different sizes-- the left was nearly twice the right, and the skin-- it was scaly, rough-- almost reptilian.

His fingers were swollen. 

And maybe-- just maybe, his nails were a little more opaque than yesterday. It was growing-- thickening-- into something. He didn’t know what.

The symptoms didn’t stop there. 

He woke up with a tail, which was beyond anything else, just very weird. He could hide it at first-- then it just grew larger, pants were getting harder to find, and then--

\--and then, a fire lit at its end.

“ _ [To conclude, I believe I am turning into a Charizard,] _ ” Professor Oak read the letter with the most incredulous expression he could muster. “ _ [Regards, Blue.] _ ”

He turned the letter over, but that was all of it. 

The Professor squinted at it. “What did I just read?”

* * *

Red didn’t notice his own signs at first. 

He would simply feel less hungry, or opt to sleep in the sunniest spots all afternoon, and sleep again once night came, like resting was all he ever did.

Then came the leaves.

He would wake up to a pillow-full of leaves. He would brush his hand against his hair and find a leaf or two, even if he didn’t go anywhere near a forest.

Eventually, Pika found a vine within the roots of his hair, twined together like a crown of thorns on his head. When the crimson flower bloomed at the crook of his ear-- he realized, with dread, that he could no longer ignore it.

He told Misty first, for no particular reason than the fact that she happened to be there. 

“Wow, isn’t that cute?” Misty had teased him at first, but she was quick to know what to do. “I wonder what flower it is? Let’s ask Erika.”

And they spent the day in Celadon. Unable to identify the flower that sprouted from his head, they’d begun filling Red’s hair with flowers and twining it between his locks. 

They didn’t question a thing, simply accepted it and then used him as a flower crown doll, and Red was grateful for that jejune attitude, even if he was embarrassed. 

He hadn’t eaten a lick of food in nearly three days, but he wasn’t hungry enough for dinner that night. His flower wilted in the fall, leaves turning his hair a bronze glaze of autumn, before blooming again in spring in a seasonal cycle. 

Patches began to grow on his skin.

In the centre of his cheek, a dark green rectangle, sported at its side by a few triangles. 

He checked it in the mirror and found another patch near his arm. By the time he took off his shirt, he'd found them all over his body, like a pattern-job gone wrong on his skin.

Pika gave him a concerned noise, but he chuckled almost sadly, turning to his Venusaur. Feigning a cheerful voice, he smiled. 

“Look, Saur. We match now.”

* * *

Green saw her change coming.

She adored any news of the 9th League Winner’s newest record, or rumours of the undefeated wandering Trainer being spotted around Cinnabar or Vermillion. 

She kept track of them, fervently stayed in contact, and loved to accidentally bump into them in cities just to steal a trade or stone from their pockets.

So when they began to hide from public news, she grew worried. And when she found them, stuck in an infected body-- she was horrified.

And she realized it was going to happen to her, too.

She had received her Pokedex later than the two, so she had some time to prepare herself, mentally. 

Green saw her pointed ears as a disfigurement, and tried desperately to hide them. She took extra care of her appearance, making sure no one would catch the fangs hidden between her molars when she spoke. When the furry, water-resistant tail began to sprout from her back, she wore longer skirts. 

“She’s over there!”

“Capture her!”

She really needed to break her habit of infiltrating suspicious buildings, but she had gotten something out of it, at least. There were Rocket remnants here, surviving on the dredges of… no one in charge, apparently. They were just idiots. 

She’ll have to bring this memory chip back to anyone that could help-- maybe the Professor? She’ll think about it later. 

“Jigglypuff, take this and get back to the secret base” she handed the memory card to her only flyer, along with all her pokeballs except Horsea. She would use Blastoise, but she had left it in the Center for recovery this morning. “I’ll distract them.”

She threw herself into the waterway, trusting her Horsea to guide her to safety.

But she had underestimated the currents.

When she woke up, not too long later and far from the building-- she found herself laying on bedrock, and her Horsea was crying in relief.

She was still under the sea, surrounded by the shine of the corals and the company of the aquatic Pokemon, gleaming from the sun’s rays.

And she was  _ breathing _ .

Like a spell, she began to walk. The world was so beautiful down here, and the Pokemon didn’t consider her a threat if she didn’t alert them first. They passed her by with at most a brush of fin against shoulder. 

Her hair blew back, revealing the slightly bluish, wing-shaped deformed ears. 

Her tail escaped from the back of her dress, the fur swirling enjoyably in the serene waters, feeling right where it’s supposed to be.

And this was so wrong. 

They weren’t ignoring her. They were just treating her with the respect and nonchalance of a fellow Pokemon. Because that’s what they determined her monstrous figure to be.

She felt the breath come in and out of her lungs, so painfully natural, like it was meant to be, like she was-- like she was no longer human.

She held herself and cried into the sea floor.

* * *

It was impossible to hide it forever, especially with Red being sensational news in his disappearance and Blue beginning to grow wings. 

Green faded out of the radar, and Professor Oak grew worried.

Then Yellow came by, the Elite Four stuck, and… and well, everything came to light.

They came upon each other in Cerise island, and though everyone’s eyes were trained warilyon the ex-Team Rocket associated Gym Leaders, Blue kept his eyes on Green. 

She looked normal, in contrast to his large cloak that barely hid his tail, his premature wings, and his disfigured arm. 

Something had to be wrong. He could smell it on her.

(He also had the nose of a dragon, after all.) 

Then he noticed it.

Green was wearing a jacket, even though it wasn’t particularly cold out. She never wore a jacket, so why now? Other than insurance and her usual trickery, that is.

(He turned away after that. This wasn’t the time yet to talk about it.)

He didn’t miss the minute glance Green gave him, where she surmised him up and down and looked a little like she wanted to say something, but didn’t.

Blue kept his disfigured arm under his sleeve and didn’t entertain her with a response.

* * *

Green got through her battle with Lorelei fairly easily, except one problem. 

After separating from Ditto, a load of debris fell on them--and Green ducked down, curled into herself-- and let her back shield both herself and Sabrina from the harm of crusted icicles toppling from above.

She was unscathed when they crawled out, and Lorelei was ready to call out on that bullshit.

“But that’s impossible! I saw one shard fall straight onto you, you should have been impaled!” she exclaimed, backing away, “what kind of trick did you--!”

Green thought it better to just smile and let her panic.

But when the fight was over and they hurried toward anywhere else, Sabrina brought Green’s ripped jacket to their attention.

“You’ve gone for a more stigmatic look than last I saw you,” Sabrina muttered, giving Green’s shoulders a look before she rolled her eyes, “why’d you keep the jacket on? Hiding them from your boy Blue?”

Green shrugged off her jacket, knowing she couldn’t quite hide anymore. In the scuffle her hair had come out of place, so she adjusted them over her ears and tucked her tail back under her skirt, making sure the edge didn’t peek over anymore. 

Her shoulders were marred over in a deep blue, scale-like texture, spreading quickly around her shoulder blades, past her upper arm almost reaching her elbows.

The rough, thick skin of a Blastoise, thick enough to brace against blunt, brutish hits. It’s nothing compared to having a shell, though, but she doesn’t need one. She’s human. She beyond relieved that she wasn’t showing signs of growing a shell of a cannon-morphed spine anytime soon, because she didn’t know how to deal with that. 

She smirked against Sabrina’s attempted taunt. Stigmatic look? Sabrina must be mistaking them for strange tattoos and body alterations and actually, that’s a good cover for someone of Green’s swindling reputation. 

“Oh, jealous of my new look, Sabrina? Well, that makes sense,” she snarked right back, giving Sabrina a once over before scoffing mockingly. “Tattoos don’t look too great on a figure like yours, after all.”

“ _ Excuse me _ ?” oh, Sabrina was much too easy to tease. Green loved this.

“And while I’m on the topic of appearances, you could  _ really  _ use a new haircut, Sabs. You’re looking super generic except for your delinquent-looking mean-girl eyes.”

“That is irrelevant to the situation, just outright rude, and most of all, none of your damn business, Green!” Sabrina snapped.

Green chuckled.

She looked toward the sky, and let her mask slip back on.

* * *

Blue felt the effects of the paralysis on his eyes terribly.

Pokemon moves not meant to be used on humans, and his mutation didn’t make it any better. He really has the worst luck with these, from Confuse Ray to Dream Eater to everything else the world seems to like dishing out on his psyche.

“What’s wrong with you?”

He avoided Koga’s eyes, tugging one end of his cloak tightly closed. 

“Nothing,” he said, knowing full well that lie wouldn’t work. “It’s not your business. And it’s not like you’re obligated to care, are you?”

Koga had looked obviously miffed, “I’m not.” he agreed. “But I have a right to know  _ what  _ I’m trusting my back to.”

Blue glared. “Trainer. A Pokedex owner from Pallet Town. Professor Oak’s grandson. Someone who kicked your ass. I’m a lot of things, take your pick.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.” 

They finally defeated Agatha’s Arbok, but the various instances of his cape flying just a little too far from his body was hard to ignore.

Finally, Blue conceded.

He pulled his human arm out of the cloak, and parted it just a little, before stretching out the dark beige wing to its full, one meter of length.

Koga’s silence was expected.

“Only one’s grown in this far but I’m thinking it has to get another meter larger before I can fly with them,” was what he decided to explain, because he’s awkward like that and he hated every second of it, “I don’t know why this is happening.”

He didn’t know why this was happening.

Blue hurriedly adjusted his cloak again, nervously looking toward the shadows. Perhaps his inherent dragon instincts are telling him something. “Don’t worry, it’s not infectious or anything. I only know three people that have shown signs like these.” 

But Koga’s next words surprise him.

“So you, Red, and the girl with the Jigglypuff?” 

Blue didn’t manage to hide the startled flinch.

Koga shrugged when Blue gave him a confused look. “There’s a common denominator between you three,” he said. And then he left it at that. 

They made it to the finals of the Pokemon League. They were from Pallet Town. And most of all-- they received a Pokemon and a Pokedex from Professor Oak.

Oh.

Oh, he knows it now.

Blue turned away. “Now if that answered your question, we’ve got company,” he jabbed a thumb in the direction of his shadow.

* * *

Red was sick. 

It’s pure coincidence that Lorelei just happened to be an ice specialist, but Red was struck by the attack and the air hurt now. Being released from the shell only made the pain worse, because at least when he was frozen his senses were frozen too.

From the lingering, chronic frostbite to the increased sensitivity in his skin, sunlight was his only solace, which made sleep impossible at night.

He hid it well, but that was only because people were more distracted by the new revelation with Blue.

Blue’s appearance made the news, was broadcasted on various platforms as scandalous paparazzi shots until finally, a professional reveal and explanation had to be conducted by Professor Oak. 

Blue hid away even more after that, which was understandable, but even Red could tell that it was taking a toll on his mental state.

Green hadn’t shown her face in ages, too. She was terrified, and last Red had heard, she came into contact with her brother and was off doing something else relatively cryptid again in another region. 

Red? Red was going to try for the Viridian Gym, his first public appearance since the Elite Four fiasco. And he knew he had to show up without any makeup on his skin.

(Blue was forced to show himself. Red had to do it too, it’s only fair.)

(Green didn’t deserve this reputation, so it’s fine she stayed in her shadow.)

Yellow had his back, and though their hat hid the edges of their ears well, their hat was growing a little blonder, spiking in its edges and curling apart from its previously sleek and straight texture. 

Red highly suspected that Yellow had a tail, wound around their stomach and tightly under her clothing. He’s resistant to it, but Daisy had frequently mentioned the consistent bouts of static electricity that would happen when they brushed shoulders.

Yellow only had the Pokedex for a brief moment in history, but it’s definitely considered a hallmark of fate’s path, because they, too, were suffering from it.

But Yellow, of the Viridian Forest, was the strongest in facing these problems than the rest of them. And Red was envious of that if anything else. 

(Red fails the test, Blue takes over the position. He trades for a Charizard, finds a Blastoise in his box, and takes off for Mt.Silver where he eventually hikes and spends his time recovering in the guise of training.)

He’s the Fighter, after all.

He’ll persevere.


	2. Johto Dex Holders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gold burns the air,   
> Crystal breathes,   
> and Silver doesn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy this book has reads! Thanks for reading guys <3 This story might have parts that don't make sense and all, but I hope you'll take them with a grain of salt. It's just a plot bunny I wanted to pen down, not particularly something I want to advance dynamically. 
> 
> Anyways, here are the three Johto kids, and a lot of our Kanto kids too because canon goes in that direction. Enjoy!

Though it’s almost logical that the cause of the transformation is the Pokedex, it’s not inherently obvious enough for Oak to refuse handing out Pokedexes for the Johto region. Especially when one was stolen, the other was reluctantly gifted to persistent but potential-filled Gold, and the third was just out of resignation to Elm’s insistence. 

Gold acknowledges his symptoms around the Flames of Life. 

The warmth in his body burns too far into his chest and when he coughs, there’s smoke. He reaches for his neck and his own skin burns in his hand. 

His Aipom touches him and it actually flinches back.  He looks back, guilty. It’s not the first time they’ve noticed his body temperature being too warm for their usual cuddle piles. 

He doesn’t let it affect him, not externally, at least.

But it only gets worse from there. 

Marks, caverns, bodily pores opened up around his shoulder blades and his nape, tracing across in a slightly sunken, scar-like imprint, drawn across like ancient glyphs.  He hypes up the crowd a little too hard and his back lights up on fire, bursting with flames that should never sprout from a human body. 

And then he touches the handles of his scooter and-- and they burst into flames, too. 

He quickly pats it down in a panic, and Politoed douses it immediately-- but it stays in his mind and plagues his thoughts for a long, fearful week. It happens again, this time on clothes, on food wrappers, trees, money-- and eventually, empty Poke Balls. 

Aipom stops riding on his shoulders. He doesn’t touch his Pokemon for the longest time, aside from his Typhlosion. 

Nights are lonelier, but his Pokemon understand. Politoed looks at him longingly every day, but Gold clings to Typhlosion, and keeps his distance.

He grins, he plays his pranks, and most importantly, he runs around with all the bursting energy of the trainer he is in his soul.

But he doesn’t hold anyone’s hand, because he doesn’t want to hurt them.

* * *

Silver knew what he was getting into when he stole the Pokedex from Professor Oak, and chose Totodile to snag from Elm’s laboratory.

In fact, he wanted it to happen.

Of all the things he’s earned and lost in the world, there’s only one thing left that he wholeheartedly treasures-- and that’s Green.

When Green became a hybrid, the first thing she did was cry. And that’s something Silver has never seen from her. It’s the thing he dreaded the most in the world-- and he wanted to do something about it.

So he stole the Pokedex, and waited.

A little after they received the lead about the Lake of Rage, Silver finds his first symptoms in a painful attempt at a meal.

His teeth fell out in succession, escaping his gums in a painful pool of blood and vomit. And in one horrific and agonizing night, a whole set of fangs grew in. 

He did scare his Sneasel a little (a whole lot), especially when it ran around in a panic gathering up all the Sneasel in the vicinity to try and figure out what was wrong, 

Then came the crocodilian scales, from his shoulders to his arms. It’s thick enough to take a Tyranitar’s Slash, as he learns from a test run one late night. He’s not going to tell Green that, though.

He could do without the bright colouring, honestly.

(He doesn’t expect Green to cry harder when he tells her about his new body.)

(But he doesn’t regret anything he does for her.)

* * *

Crystal couldn’t ignore the large leaf growing from her head like a cowlick. 

Leaves and thin vines weave into her hair, and a green tinge takes over the locks, replacing its previously bluish tone. Veiny roots ingrain by the crook of her ears, carefully covered by pink flowers that grow in. 

She eventually realizes that her hair is stuck in that gravity defying pair of pigtails, much like cacti with its upright stems. Pink flowers bloom in the crook of her hair tie, releasing a faintly flowering scent into the air.

And then, leaves grow on her left wrist, smelling like spices. 

She begins to enjoy soaking in the sun, and she somehow learns to identify parts of the forest that are more inhabited, simply because of that quality of the air in the area. 

She makes the connections quickly to her Chikorita, especially when the leaf buds around her wrist are identical to the ones around a Bayleef’s neck.

Professor Oak pays her an apologetic visit, and out of politeness, she forgives him.

But she can’t help but feel the ire in her heart, knowing that she’s been scammed into becoming something short of a monster, just because Oak had his pride and didn’t have the courage to own up.

But she doesn’t turn back and head toward the Orphanage.

She continues her journey, thinking she now had nowhere to go but forward. She dreaded what they would think of her features, and hid in the forests more than she went to stay nights in the city. 

Then Suicune rejects her and only painful cries leave her throat, months of wasted effort, pent-up frustrations, and despair filling her heart with fear.

She hides herself in Mt Mortar, following her mother’s advice.

Here, forests and trees are scarce, and rocks are the prime of her daily view. The air here is sandy, just a little dewy, and not at all fine for a little plant to grow.

But Parasect takes care of her, Cubone picks her up when she needs to, and Arcanine is beside her when her limbs feel a little too weak. Chikorita evolves into Bayleef, and they get through new struggles together.

Together.

* * *

They meet Yellow on the fishing boat.

A senior decked up like a country girl, with long sleeves in the weather and rubber gloves and boots. At first glance, she seemed to fit the part of a fisherman’s niece, but upon closer inspection-- none of her gear was decked up for the labour of the trip.

Crystal can feel it.

But she doesn’t mention it.

She runs into Gold and Silver, and they don’t mention anything either. There’s not even the minute glances and curious considerations-- just acknowledgement, then dismissal. 

Maybe they’re stronger than her.

Or maybe they’re already past the point of tears.

Chris cooperates with Gold as they infiltrate the League Tournament, where Professor Oak informs them of the Masked Man’s possible identities, as well as Blue Oak, the professor’s grandson.

And hell, who  _ didn’t  _ know about Blue Oak? He’s still the hot topic of sensational news now, and people tend to believe he was the strongest in Kanto as a result of the ‘mutation’ as they call it.

He’s donned in his usual large cape, standing out strangely amongst the other Kanto Gym leaders. His wings are folded as closely to his back as they can, though the edges still bulge strangely-- Crystal’s seen only one picture of those wings in full view, and they clearly dwarf his own Charizard’s wings. 

Chris hadn’t made the connection until now-- but she knows it can’t be anything else.

Blue has a Charizard mutation. Gold, according to what she’s seen, probably has a Typhlosion mutation. Chris has symptoms from the Meganium line, and last she heard, Red has traits of the Venusaur line.

“It’s the Pokemon we get from the professor,” she tells Gold.

Gold, still chewing contemplatively on a piece of jerky, hums in confusion. “What’ve ya been mumbling bout there? Know we got a job to do, Super Serious Gal?”

“Wha-- Gold!” Chris turns up to him, “aren’t you interested in it at all? 

“You’re fishing for guys in the League? Talk about bad timing.”

Chris’ face burns bright red, “I’m not you!” she snaps, whacking him over the head. “I’m talking about the cloak! He’s the same as us!”

Gold grimaces at that.

Chris then realizes that despite their obvious acknowledgement of their features, they haven’t actually spoken of it. Maybe Gold just hated it that much, that he would actively avoid the topic.

“Oh, that one,” Gold says, quinting, “the one that uh, yeah. Nah. I can’t smell anything over the chemicals and sickness on the other dude over there.”

“Use your eyes, Gold, you ought to recognize someone as popular as Blue,” Chris rolled her eyes. She turns her eyes back on the scene-- “what do you mean by that?” 

Gold groans into his arm, setting his nose back into his elbow. “Seriously? It stinks in here and I’m not talking about the sweat. You’re telling me you can feel  _ nothing _ ?”

Chris raises a brow. She can sense that the air here is stale and suffocating, but that’s normal for a stadium especially with this amount of people inside. 

Sickness and chemicals? 

She turns back to the gym leader roster, her eyes landing on the two oldest of the group-- Pryce, and Blaine. 

“One of them’s on some thick meds,” Gold says, “it’s worse than your Parasect.”

“Woah, you can smell even that?” Chris holds her Parasect closer to her chest, “but hey, that’s rude. Apologize to Parasee.”

Gold sticks his tongue out.

* * *

Silver can’t breathe underwater, but he can hold his breath for abnormally long hours. He spends a while testing it out, and tops out at two hours, and would have gone on longer if Feraligatr didn’t keep pulling him out in protest. 

(But how else is he going to utilize this?)

His thicker skin can endure the surging currents, and though he doesn’t have the correct body structure and fins, he can swim at an almost equal speed. 

His claws aren’t as sharp as Sneasel’s, but it’s strong enough to launch her into the air, and just tender enough to not nub too harshly at Murkrow as they lift off into flight.

He sneaks into the Pokemon League, right by Blue’s room-- and a raging wave of heat sends his head into a churning mound of agony.

He doesn’t do well in the heat. He can sunbathe, but his body contains heat in an almost feverish manner. 

So when Entei runs off and Blue comes face with him, Silver has to stand braced because that-- that before him is a predator, an invader, and a flaming beast that’s got no business impeding on his trail unless--

His teeth gnash together and he recollects himself.

Blue’s eyes are cold and green, and he reaches out a clawed, reptilian limb in Silver’s direction. Silver slaps it away, his own claws tearing right through his glove as he scrambles away, fearful, unwilling to expose any more of himself today.

* * *

Chris keeps an eye on the battle.

Blue barely speaks, barely gestures, but in the minute moments the wind blows in just the right direction, his cape flows away to reveal a gruesome arm.

She’s only seen Silver’s from the minute interactions they’d had, but she’s got a keen eye for these things. He wore long sleeves and thick gloves, but Crystal could tell the minute size differences, and the way he used one arm more than the other.

Blue is just like Silver-- but as a fire dragon instead of a water dinosaur.

Blue commands his Pokemon with all the expertise of a trainer of his caliber. And when he wins, Chuck comes forward with words of acknowledgement, even extending a hand in a show of pride.

Chris’ heart goes out for Blue when he refuses the long-awaited handshake, simply turning away with a smile and a nod. There’s movement as he shuffles his limbs closely under the cloak. He also says something, but it goes unheard to the crowd.

Chuck’s hand lay in the air for a pained second, then it returned to his side. 

Chris wonders if one day, she would have to do the same.

* * *

Gold is engulfed in a churn of Fire Blast and he screams.

A second later, he crawls to his feet, and there aren’t even burns on his skin. It’s not raw, it’s not peeling, it’s not even remotely uncomfortable.

He picks himself up and runs after the Masked Man.

He’s not a monster. Not like Blue, who’s resigned himself to the fact. Not like Crystal, who’s gone past the point of denial and trying to adapt.

At the very least, if he can’t do anything right in his  _ fucking _ life, he knows he’s got his stubbornness going for him. He’s human, and he’s going to be one no matter what anyone says, no matter what grows on his back and who he burns along the way.

So he runs for the two Pikachu, arms huddling around the egg and-- and it’s an egg. A precious, warm soul, and he hugs it tight. It won’t complain from being too warm, right?

He clutches it tight, feeling the winds pierce through his body, exposing his back, revealing the sunken grooves in his back.

And when he closes his eyes he feels them explode, bursting forth in a gush of flames, spilling through his skin as lava, corroding the earth under him and sending Pryce whirling back in surprise. 

“How unexpected,” Pryce says.

Gold doesn’t burn, but it hurts. It hurts to lose his humanity to feel it helping him in battle when it’s the last thing he wants in the world.

But Pichu hatches, he recovers-- and he runs after him again.

He’s stubborn, after all. He’s not going to go down without a fight, and he won’t stop until he wins. When that’s all done and over, he’ll go home, have a laugh about it, and then sleep, pretending nothing’s wrong.

Just like usual, right?

* * *

“Wait, you guys almost got frozen? Warm up! Warm up, now!” 

“Get the blankets! Don’t look at me, ask the fire truck or something! And get the winter heaters out here!”

When all is said and done, they regroup with the Gym Leaders just to make sure everyone’s alright. They’ve got bruises and burns and Red’s slated for another trip to Mt Silver, but it’s all fine. 

Except, it’s not really.

The dexholders are sticking just a little too close to Gold and Blue, shivering under the shock blanket they’ve borrowed from the fire trucks. Crystal in particular isn’t doing so well, and Gold’s never been so miserable in getting hugged by a girl before. 

“Sintaro, use Sunny Day,” he says, and he’s satisfied when the girls huddle up around it, gratuitous. 

Blue hasn’t stopped glaring at Red either, because the latter’s stuck to his side, but he's more worried about Red’s bluish fingers than he’s worried about his reputation. So if he spreads his wing a little over Red, maybe they won’t notice.

(Green snickers at them. Blue growls.)

(Silver gives them a confused look, but he sits down, finally taking the time to consider that ankle that’s been hurting for a while now.)

Gold’s exhausted, despite everything. Clambering in and out of time has made him more nauseated than that time Ataro spun them off the teacup attraction in the amusement park. Now that he’s got Whitney bombarding him with questions, he’s going to crash.

And he does. He falls asleep right around Typhlosion, snoring loudly into the air as everyone watches him in muted awe. But they leave him to sleep.

“What… what  _ really _ is happening around you guys?” Eusine asks. 

He’s seen Crystal’s features, but he’d passed it off as some wicked fashion sense, and Crystal has never mentioned otherwise. 

Crystal crushes her head leaf flat over her head.

“Well…” she trails off. 

“What,” Blue speaks up, his voice snarky and irritated, “gonna make a news article out of all of us this time?”

The entire group goes silent, and the broadcaster holds his tongue. Mary drops her mic, and a couple others look away.

“We’re just-- worried,” Chuck says, struggling to find the words. “About all of you.”

Most of the Kanto leaders have already seen some of these features, but most are new. From Red’s poisonous patches to Crystal’s crown of leaves, to Green’s scaled back that shows through her sleeveless dress, to Silver’s thick blue claw.

Then there’s Blue’s wings, and Gold’s completely melted shirt back, the air around it bubbling in the wake of intense heat.

This would be the first time anyone’s seen Yellow’s tail for real, and Lt Surge’s Raichu steps right up to him, tails touching in a sort of communication that only fellows of the same species can understand.

It’s not hard to make the connection.

“We’re fine,” Crystal assures them. “It’s getting better.”

And ‘it’s getting better’ isn’t the ideal answer for a situation like this. Why do they have to go through this in the first place? That’s something no one can answer for them, even when they all know it’s unfair. 

It’s so unfair for so many of them, so young, to have to deal with these consequences they didn’t ask for.

“I hate to admit it,” Red tells them, and all eyes turn to the former Champion. “ if we weren’t like this, we’d probably be dead.”

“Wha--!!” Brock steps forward, “hold on, you guys, that’s not true and--”

“Why do you think I survived Zapdos back then?” Red asks, looking toward Lt Surge. The man recoils, remembering the unpleasant memory like bile at his throat. 

“I don’t think either of us could’ve breathed in time-space if Chris wasn’t with us,” Gold says, getting up from his spot with a yawn. “I separated for about a second and I’ve never been more grateful for trees in my life!”

“Don’t call me a tree!” Crystal snaps. Then her face falls, “but he’s right. We only made it out because Silver’s limbs were strong enough to keep us all together even at the end.”

“And Yellow’s ability to channel electricity translated through to Pichu for the final blow,” Blue says, “or at least, that’s what I saw.”

“And Blue’s wings can fly now! How cool is that?” Green smiles at them, “it’s really cool, right? Hey Blue, take us for a ride!”

Blue clicks his tongue, “you’re being a pest,” he hisses, “just a day ago you’d sink into a panic attack if I so much as let--”

“You’re a jerk! And you know that’s because I--”

“Now now, you two,” Red sets himself between them, “and Yellow sets herself in front of Green just in case.

“Speaking of, can we cook things over your back?” Crystal suggests, turning to Gold. 

Gold, crankily awake from his nap, has already turned so his exposed back was against Typhlosion. “Huh?!” he groans, “you’re insensitive as heck, Super Serious Gal. How about you ask Silver how long he can hold his breath, since he’s an alligator?”

“What-- of course I can’t ask that!” Crystal snaps, “how would you even find that out--”

Silver shrugs when they turn to him, “I managed to go for two hours at some point,” he says, laying a hand on Feraligatr. 

“Dude, what the heck?!” 

“Silver, you’re sitting down and we are going to have a  _ conversation _ .”

“Oh no, you made her mad.”

Green nods approvingly at the situation, only to find herself in a similar situation with Red and Blue when she accidentally lets slip the fact that she can breathe underwater. Yellow chuckles at the sight, and though the Gym Leaders gave them worried looks at first, they’ve boiled down into resignation.

If they can find common ground in each other, they’re at the very least, not alone.

It’s going to be tough, but they’ll be fine. 


	3. Hoenn Dex Holders (R/S)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapphire begins to grow fur, so she told herself to be strong, because the day she accepts this new flaw would be the day she gains the strength she yearned for.
> 
> Ruby's body begins to deform, so he curled up further into his weakness, began to hide, hide, and hide even more-- all for the sake of the beauty he wished for. 
> 
> Beauty and strength aren't mutually exclusive, and they find that out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Sapphire Arc! This is long...
> 
> Anyways, howdy! It's been a while since I wrote this one, but I still adore writing this idea of mine a lot! Kinda wish there were more fics like these in the fandom T^T oh wells. If anyone's still reading this, thank you! Hope you enjoy this chapter ❤

To some degree, agreeing to become a Pokedex Holder is equal to consenting to human experimentation of some sort. 

No one would say that out loud, but that’s what most people that are aware of it call it, and Professors who center their research have no choice but to eat the criticism, even if it was incredibly false, until they understand the impacts fully.

Professor Birch shares his concerns with Norman before he decided to delve professionally in the field. 

To say the truth, he never intended for Sapphire to get involved. 

After the day of the Salamence attack however, she had insisted. 

She wanted to be stronger-- she wanted to stop wearing her frilly dresses-- to become something the entire juxtaposition of it, to become something she wasn’t so she could find out what she truly was. 

And he had forbidden it until she was old enough to go on her journey.

He couldn’t bear to drag his daughter into-- it might be cruel to say-- that  _ monstrous _ fate. There are girls in previous Pokedex holders as well, and Professor Oak’s latest updates on their situation had been… shocking, to say the least. 

Sapphire already had Aron and Torchic in her arsenal as she began helping him in his research. It was small at first, wandering around Littleroot and the forests to check on the current environmental statistics of each species she could find wandering about. 

That was all it was.

Then the colour of her hair began to change. Beige and red streaks began to encapsulate her brown locks, and with it came the body hair that came with puberty. 

Except, it’s far more than naturally predictable. It grew in like a coat of warm, fluffy fur, covering her calves completely down to the balls of her feet. 

When the claws began to grow and her body temperature rose to a perpetual feverish state, Professor Birch fell onto his knees and sobbed.

Because Sapphire had never touched a Pokedex-- yet, the Pokedex had  _ chosen _ her, and there was nothing he could’ve done about it. 

It was his own fault for having accepted this responsibility to begin with. 

(He doesn’t reject her.)

(That would be cruel, and he couldn’t do that to his beautiful daughter.)

(No matter what she became, she would still be his beautiful daughter.)

* * *

Sapphire had been initially disgusted at her change. 

Puberty felt like that, it definitely did-- but even in her attempt to break away from the girly-girl image, she had never imagined the need to be covered in mounds of body hair that seemed gross when put against human skin like it did for her. 

She shaved as often as she could, until it just wasn’t manageable anymore. They grew into thick layers of fur, fluffy and lining her forearms in the same way a Blaziken donned its coat. 

So she changed her heart instead. 

She had to become stronger-- and her image of strength has always been the vulgar masculinity and impasse to primal instincts. 

She went out into the forest in vines and leaves and the bare minimum, and made herself home in the culture and natures of the Pokemon.

(She was a Pokemon, just like them-- that wasn’t gross, was it?)

She eventually understood exactly what was happening to her, and why this wasn’t normal-- but she smiled, and told her papa it was fine. It worked out fine for her-- and even if she hated it sometimes, this fear could be overcome.

The extra, hooked toe gave her better grip on the branches, after all. 

(Even if it was too ugly to show off into the city.)

So when she met Ruby, and the boy allegedly invades her privacy to take her measurements while she was asleep-- she’s still going to slap him for that one day-- she finds herself strangely enamoured by the clothing.

They were versatile, body-hugging-- and made of material that were more oriented toward sport uses. Baggy clothing would get in her way, so this was perfect. 

There was only one oddity to the equation-- slouch socks that pulled all the way to the bottom of her knees, and wrist guards that covered the entirety of her forearms. 

(For her body hair, perhaps? She’s a little offended at the implication that he thought she would need to cover them. But when she wears them, the furs stick out at the tops, giving them a furred-wrist guard look to seem more like clothing than otherwise.)

(She’ll wear them. At least in cities.)

* * *

Ruby took the Pokedex in a moment of dire need, but when he realized he hadn’t returned it, it was already much too late to reverse the effects. 

His skin dried out easily. Maybe it was him still trying to get used to the new climate, but it was definitely concerning. He uses up his moisturizers in a matter of days and he has to get new ones from a department store nearby. 

He gets used to Zuzu (the Mudkip whose appeal was… less than ideal for his image of a glamorous team) after a while of shenanigans, but crossing an earthquake in Petalburg and getting separated from Ruru and Wally was not ideal.

He felt himself struggle for air as the waters rose and the waves washed him out to sea. 

He didn’t have a Pokemon that could fight against these currents-- he was too far down to try. The surface was so far away-- he couldn’t breathe and it hurt.

(He thought it was karma, for being such a problematic son.)

(Causing trouble until the very end-- it’s ironic. If he didn’t run away from home, he wouldn’t be in this situation, and that’s why he’s here-- dying.)

He gives in, and the air leaves his lungs.

(And then he began to swallow--)

(--and in the depths of the sea, he began to  _ breathe _ .)

And then he began to swim and he began to _ see _ and he began to find himself a place among the water Pokemon under the sea. The running shoes boosted his pace, allowing him to spiral with the Luvdisc and pull the waves alongside a Gorebyss. 

The Clamperl sing their soundless tunes to him, and the Wailord and Wailmer hold onto him, leading him further forward. 

To where? Who knows.

The Whiscash and many other Pokemon under the sea didn’t seem pleasing to the eyes at first-- but this place, glimmering with life-- when you looked at it as a whole, things were so beautiful down here. 

A moment later he’s fished up by a large net, and Mr Briney has to witness him throw up all the water in his lungs before he remembers how to take in air again. 

It hurts, it’s disgusting, and Ruby is having a godawful day if that isn’t clear yet.

* * *

Ruby’s arms deform. 

Widened, thick forearms-- the same thing was happening to his calves, and solid orange padding began to form around the base of his wrist and ankles. 

He was mortified at first, wondering if this was some form of Hoenn disease he wasn’t immune to-- but Mr Briney spotted them before he could ask. The old man pointed out how it was similar to the iconic markings of a Swampert, and was surprised a boy so obsessed with beauty would go for the Mud Fish Pokemon’s likeness. 

(He had thought Ruby was playing with hyper realistic makeup or something, perhaps.)

(But this made Ruby realize that his deep-sea swimming session was no glitch in the matrix after all.)

Something was wrong, and his Mudkip was related to the problem. 

(He remembers the girl in the cave, the fur on her arms and the claws on her feet.)

(The way her Torchic roared in the same way she did, spewing balls of heat in shrill, high notes to establish dominance against other vultures.)

She was not normal, and Ruby might have caught the disease from the prolonged contact. 

But that wasn’t right. Professor Birch, that man-- he was normal. And he interacted frequently with dad, and dad was apparently fine.

He pulled his sleeves fully over his new features and prayed they would go away.

(They wouldn’t.)

* * *

Dad finds out about them when they go crashing into the soil after a heated, rainy battle at the Weather Institute. 

It’s after his irritated lectured-permission of “go do whatever you want as long as you accomplish your goals” when Norman crouches down, takes Ruby’s wrist-- and slides the sleeve upward with a contemplative sigh. 

Ruby, mildly conscious, considers pulling away.

But he doesn’t. 

“It’s ugly, isn’t it?” he asks instead, and Norman looks surprised for just a brief moment before tugging the sleeve back into place. 

He thinks Norman would say something cruel or insensitive about it. Maybe he didn’t understand beauty (the usual case) or that he didn’t care how ugly it was (which would be indirectly calling him repulsive.)

But Norman simply offers, “that’s subjective,” as his response. Then, “you’re not going to let that stop you, am I right?”

Then he sets a hand on Ruby’s head-- gently caressing his forehead, inching just a little away from where the scar was. It’s something he hadn’t done in about a decade now, and Ruby’s too surprised to respond to it at all. 

He does pause momentarily when his hands brush over the head fin that’s grown under the hat-- but Norman simply removes his hand and doesn’t question it. 

(He had been prepared for this, ever since Professor Birch cal led him and apologized, so many times over, because Ruby had gone out with a Pokedex and he had no idea if that meant fate had spun its irredeemable gears once again.) 

When Norman leaves, he presses the Pokeblock case into his hands and throws back a nonchalant reminder of “don’t forget to call your mother,” before leaving.

Ruby is fairly sure his dad got possessed by a demon of niceness and he’s very terrified. 

(He won’t admit how much that lifts his spirits for the rest of the week, though. He’s been incredibly insecure about these new features for a long time now.)

Saddled into Gabby and Ty’s car, he looks out the window and hopes his dad does well in his gym duties. He may hate the guy, but he thinks he can spare him a word of greeting the next time they meet again. 

Oh. 

“Sorry Gabby, do you mind if I take a phone call?”

* * *

The water burns.

The water burns so much and Sapphire doesn’t think that’s the drowning speaking. 

When Aqua Commander Matt’s Sharpedo tears holes in her back and makes her scream-- she couldn’t help but curse nothing but the water, the water-- get the water away from me!

Even when she finally gets a hole in the window and regains her breath, her voice comes out as a pained, desperate roar. 

“Rono! Take Down!” 

Her Lairon is more than happy to bash him to kingdom come.

She carries Flannery and she runs. Runs to the dry parts of the land, where the air no longer hurts and the cold doesn’t burn. 

She’s a Combusken hybrid, so it makes sense that a water-related decrease in temperature would hurt so much. It still doesn’t make the feeling any better, and she feels so repulsed by her wet clothes she nearly strips right there in the mountains, if only to get the water out of her skin a moment faster. 

She doesn’t, though. She calls her Flygon and they chase the cable car, fight Team Aqua again-- and watch the volcano die. 

She then forgets all her plights as she goes for a desperate and long soak in the final hot spring. Maybe because it’s still boiling, but it doesn’t hurt like the water from before. It’s the temperature that was the problem after all, and hot water was ideal healing for her. 

(Flannery stares at her arms, at the fur, and quickly looks away before Sapphire spots her. Sapphire tries not to be bothered by the obvious confusion, but if she keeps them underwater more often than needed, Flannery didn't mention it either.) 

(It’ll be a long time before Sapphire’s comfortable stripping around other girls again.)

* * *

His skin flakes from the heat. 

It’s already been sensitive to dryness-- Marshtomp has protective layers, but even those dry out painfully in extreme scorch like this-- even more so for Ruby, whose skin composition is a little more human. 

“Would you like to join us?”

Courtney’s words are fueled with interest, a wicked desire borne only from personal endearment-- and Ruby falters. 

(Why was it that they had little in common, yet something in the way she spoke just struck him deeply, enough to make him hesitate? He didn’t need to hesitate, the answer is obvious, after all…)

They’re interrupted by a screech of Hyper Voice that sends his senses shaking painfully, blown off his feet by the pressure to his head. 

(But he hears something else-- no.. his fins pick up another sound, another tremor.)

(A car?)

“Unfortunately, I don’t bode well with fire types,” he snarks. “My skin dries out, you know. Cracked fingers like these-- ugh! I’m already out of moisturizers again.” 

Marshtomp runs with the Poke Balls, and Ruby endured another blast of Fire Spin that scorches his skin just a little more.

It hurts, but he’s dealt with worse things. 

So when he runs, sliding down the rope and leaving Courtney to burn in the flames that burn out of control-- he tries not to hear her scream, because he knows that a Fire Specialist would never burn down to her own flames.

She would be alright.

His skincare routine, however, would not. 

“Gabby, Gabby, do you have a mirror? Moisturizer? Skin cream? Treatment? My skin is in a disaster and I can’t go out into public like this! I’ll disgrace my mom!” 

“Is this the time for that?!” Gabby and Ty exclaim in unison, flabbergasted. “First you get kidnapped, then you literally drop onto the roof of the car, and then the first thing you ask for is beauty products?!”

Ruby pointedly ignored them, “oh, Miss Wanda, perfect timing! Your skin is  _ so smooth _ I absolutely need to know your secrets. Just look at me! I could cry!”

* * *

Sapphire wants to kick him in the face. 

She grabs him by the shoulders, her hands burning and her throat churning with the fireball she could almost spew. 

“You can’t be serious, Ruby,” she seethes. “You’re not interested? The entire region is in danger and--!!

Ruby brushes off her hand with an annoyed huff. “The countryside just isn’t for me, Sapphire,” he says, as if that was the problem and not the fact that he’d been pretending to be a weakling for nothing more than irritable, sexist beauty standards. “If you guys want to go fight against nature or something, I don’t care. Just do it without me.”

And the rage burns into her chest, spieling forth-- and bursts, setting her wrists, and the wrist guards aflame. 

(She’s never been able to literally cast fire before. Guess there’s a first time to everything, huh?)

Ruby yelps, but Sapphire simply watches the fires burn away the garments on her skin, from the gloves to the socks. Ruby reacts at first-- but he turns away when her clothes expose her, and Sapphire is gratified by it. 

She reaches for a string of vines, and makes herself new clothes with the leaves of Fortree. 

She doesn’t slap him. 

But her next words are chosen in a rage-induced spite. 

“What contests?” she challenges him, “what beauty?” She shows her hands to him-- the deformed, bold claws-- the layers of fur on her forearms-- and the streaks of coloured hair muddying up the pure brown of her natural coat. “You think you can still be  _ beautiful _ when we look like gross mutations?”

That makes Ruby flinch. 

It’s definitely a sore spot for both of them, and she knew that well. She’d long forgotten the purity of honest beauty, but Ruby was the epitome of what she once was. And she knows she would be sobbing into herself for what she was now. 

Ruby definitely doesn’t take it as smoothly. 

“If it wasn’t for  _ you _ , none of this would’ve happened to me either!” Ruby snaps, uncharacteristic of him. “You think I wanted to become a-- a  _ monster _ ?! Maybe you’re happy with how  _ disgusting _ we look--”

They’ve argued plenty of times, but this is the first time the ire was boiling hot and real. 

Sapphire picked this fight and she was more than happy to take it. “I’m not!” she yells. “But at least  _ I’m _ not being a fuckin’ baby about it! At least I’m not selfish enough to be obsessed with some idea of ‘beauty’ over the fate of a few hundred thousand people!”

“I’m not selfish, I just know my limits!” he retorts. “You really think a bunch of preteens like us can face off against evil organisations aiming to ruin the world and the climate? What next, are you going to challenge the sun?”

“It’s not impossible!” 

“It is!” 

Sapphire grabs Ruby by the collar, and he stands firm-- painfully firm, she couldn’t even drag him down. Her claws do leave holes, but right now, with their gazes locked-- there was nothing but spiteful words to throw around and the unending urge to punch the smartass expression off his face. 

“We’re monsters, Ruby,” she spits in his face. “That fact won’t change.”

She lets him go and stomps off furiously. 

* * *

Ruby’s been angry for many weeks now.

So when he explodes on his Feebas, it’s weeks of tears and frustration that comes with it, and that only makes what he did so much worse. 

He’s done nothing but mistreat all his Pokemon all this time. 

Soaked in water and pelted by debris, Ruby wanted nothing more than to drown. He dives, and he swims after her. He can see through all the dirt in the water-- he’s a Swampert hybrid, after all-- that’s what they excel at. 

He feels his hat blow off his head and his fin is set free to sense her. 

There’s another, longer stretch of fin around his back, drawn down his spine and growing larger each day. His arms are strong enough to propel him forward, bash the rocks out of the way, and maneuver the coursing waves. 

He screams and he screams but he knows Mimi isn’t coming back. 

So he sobs. 

He sobs, going further down the water as Feebas vanishes from his sight, too far his fins can’t even detect them anymore-- and he sobs again. 

Wallace frantically drags him out of the water, and he throws up everything in his lungs so he can take in air again. He sees them retrieve his hat as well, and Wallace makes a visible cringe at the sight of his scar, but he couldn’t care less right now. 

He deserves everything Wallace dishes out at him-- every rebuke, every harsh word. He deserves everything, because it’s just karma, after all. 

He’s selfish and irredeemable and he’s a monster. 

(Sapphire is one too, but at least she faces it bravely.)

* * *

Relicanth can use Dive, and that’s what solidifies the decision to send Ruby and Sapphire down to the Cave of Origin on their own. 

Sapphire sees his new clothes.  It’s short sleeved, unlike his previous outfit-- so his arms are in full view. His gloves are even open near the wrist to make space for the orange padding to have some air. 

(He wasn't hiding anymore.)

And her new clothes are similar.  Replacing the cloth wrist guards and socks are braces made of neoprene, to maximize versatility against her movements and maintain her fighting postures. 

It gives her the much-needed warmth in this sickening, sickening rain. 

“Don’t think this means you’re forgiven,” she mutters.

And Ruby pouts. Because apparently, he’s a child.

“Oh, c’mon now. I can go down myself if I want to, you know? I’m giving you the Relicanth suggestion mainly for your sake,” he says. 

This surprises even Wallace, because, “wait, Ruby. What did you mean by that?”

“The Cave of Origin is so deep, normal aquatic Pokemon can’t even make it down there, you know?” Winona adds, thinking mainly of Ruby's Swampert rather than the bulge of his own arms. “Don’t think of doing anything reckless.” 

“Don't get cocky. I can hold my breath ten minutes!” Sapphire argues, because no way was she letting him have an advantage over anything. 

Ruby gives her an exasperated look. “You want to have a breath-holding battle against me when I have gills? Try some other program, cavegirl.”

Ruby has  _ what _ .

There’s an echo of “you have  _ what _ ?” from Wallace, and Sapphire can see about three week’s worth of  _ reckless endeavours to lecture this brat about _ run through his head. 

“What, you literally burned your clothes off last time. Why are you surprised?” Ruby’s exasperated as well, and Sapphire guesses that makes sense. “And your body temperature is something like three degrees above average all the time and nothing’s wrong with you. No big deal.” 

“Your clothes and your body temperature is at  _ what _ ,” is Winona’s incredulous question, and this time, they look over to see the humorously exasperated looks on their masters. 

It’s highly amusing, but they have a feeling they’re in for one hell of a scolding once all this is over. 

“I think we should Dive now,” Ruby suggests. 

“Yeah,” Sapphire tightens her bandanna. “I still hate you, though.”

“That’s fine, even if you kick me off mid-dive, I can’t drown.”

"First time for everything."

(They’re monsters, but at least they’re together.)

* * *

A lot happens in between. 

From the training on Mirage Island, the Rayquaza’s appearance, to the sacrifices that happened in the battle. Courtney’s flame of memory is tucked in his pocket, Milotic stands by his side, and Sapphire’s voice is beside him once more. 

Ruby sets Celebi free, and the world is engulfed with light.

And when they woke up, everything was fine once again.

The time slip ensured that no one but Ruby and Sapphire knew of their heroic deaths-- not even Courtney, even though she seemingly remembered everything she said to Ruby. He still had the flame of memory, after all. 

There was just a slip in the ‘dead’ or ‘alive’ part of the coding of the world, and everything else remained the same. 

It was jarring. 

They were all bandaged-- so heavily bandaged, so full of injuries and so exhausted-- yet here they were, greeting their equally-injured saviours with no remembrance of their own lifeless figures. 

(Maybe Juan, Tate and Liza knew. They were somewhere outside of the jurisdiction of time, after all. But they smiled too, because some things were better left unspoken.)

“On behalf of the entire Hoenn Region, I thank you," the President of the Pokemon Association bows to them, and there's really no higher honour than this. And yet, at this moment, they really couldn't care less about it right now. 

Ruby ran forward and engulfed his father in a hug. Sapphire, holding back tears-- dove forward right into Steven’s arms and began to bawl. 

They returned it with a lot of confusion and a hint of embarrassment, but there were smiles all around, pouring out from the relief of the disaster-now-past. Children as they were, crying was normal with all that they went through. 

(They didn’t have to know the truth.) 

(It was fine like this.)

* * *

They’re all worn out, so for the rest of the trip back, Ruby and Sapphire were told to rest. And that really was ideal-- Sapphire’s knees are completely out of strength, and Ruby’s got one hell of a migraine. 

Sapphire worked to peel off her foot brace, taking note of the large gash down the side of her foot, dried blood encrusting the fur that lined her calves. Her leg muscles were tight and harder than a human’s. Maybe that’s why it didn’t quite carve fully through her tendon and permanently affect her ability to walk. 

Ruby pries off his shirt to finally look at the deep, growing ache on his shoulder, where the orb once ate into his arm. Norman comes over and discerns his shoulder blade might be fractured-- but his spine itself, which is dangerously close, had been barely spared. Most likely due to the large back fin that lined it. 

It’s still a horrible-looking wound, though-- so medics are on them in seconds, Wallace and Winona frowning down at them, looking over the wounds carefully and genuinely concerned over the lack of pain they felt. Was it the adrenaline?

“How ironic,” Ruby chokes out a dry laugh. He gives Sapphire a smile she sadly returns. “If we weren’t monsters, we’d probably be in a lot more physical trouble than this, huh?”

Sapphire sighs at that, “maybe,” she admits. “Geez, I’m just happy we all made it out alright, okay? Monster or not’s got nothin’ to do widdit!”

“Enough with the monster talk,” Norman hisses, and the kids synchronously flinch at that. “Just figure out how to show this to your mom without her fainting.”

Ruby instantly pales. 

“Ruby…” Wallace finally speaks up, and it’s solemn. It’s definitely serious, and the medic even leaves right after applying the bandages and the cast on their injured limbs. “And Sapphire, you too. I think you owe all of us an explanation, at this point.”

No, Ruby and Sapphire don’t owe them anything. 

But they were worried-- they were confused, and that was because they _cared_ for them. Winona held Sapphire’s hand tenderly, and she didn’t know what to think of the claws in her fingers, the rough chap of her palms that were just far too thick to be human. But she didn't care for that. She only cared if it was harmful for Sapphire herself because this couldn't be naturally-- how could the world inflict such a fate on a girl like her?

(These children looked less and less human each day, and there was nothing they could do to help them.)

“I’ve been like this for years,” Sapphire says first, to their surprise. Her Pokedex lays in her lap, and she looks over it fondly. “Papa said the Pokedex cursed me, but if it weren’t for it, I’d have been in a ton of trouble!”

When she smiles, it’s bright and genuine.

“So I think it’s a blessing!” she says, and it’s the most positive thing anyone has ever said about this horrid phenomenon. “After all, it protected me, right?”

Rather than a curse, it’s an insured system of protection, bestowed upon the Pokedex owners in lieu of what they were fated to face. 

_ (Yeah, that fit.) _

_ (Just like how Celebi came to Ruby just to fulfill that little mission at the end of this calamity, the Pokedex chose its owners to bestow their shield upon their owners.) _

Ruby slouches back, careful not to lean on his injured arm. “They really are!” he says, tired. He’s ready to sleep for a week, really, “I’d probably have drowned already, with how many times I keep getting caught in these damn tsunamis.”

“Excuse me,  _ what _ ?” That’s Norman.

“Come to think of it, I  _ did _ find you drifting about at sea,” Mr Briney mutters in the distance, to which Norman and Wallace whirl around with an unspoken exclamation of  _ ‘what?!’  _ and he holds his hands up in defense. “The lad was caught in an earthquake. Found him by chance, honest.” 

“An earthquake? One of the ones Magma was causing?” Wallace asks. “Where?”

There a moment before Ruby looks away pointedly and admits, “Petalburg,” to which his dad shoots him a glare made of fire and devils and threats of an oncoming year of nothing but overprotective helicopter parenting. 

_ (Ruby’s already plotting his next idea to run away from home, but he has a feeling that’ll be more difficult this time around.) _

“Trust me Ruby, you don’t know drowning till you’re a fire type trapped in a waterlogged cable car!” Sapphire argues. “Yar peachy, cause I’m now allergic to anything cold!”

“You were trapped in  _ what _ ,” Winona sounded like she’d swallowed a frog. 

Flannery chuckles nervously, “well, we were fighting this Aqua guy on Mount Chimney and he kinda locked us in a cable car…” At her admittance, everyone shot her horrified looks again. “We made it out! Safe! I immediately called you guys to report over, remember?”

“You didn’t mention  _ that!” _ Roxanne argues. “Geez, explain things like those when we get into a meeting! I wouldn’t have sided with Aqua at the meeting if you told me!” 

Ruby purses his lips at that, groaning in annoyance. “Well excuse you for being a natural heat pack that hates moisture, have you s _ een _ my skin when I get too close to fire? I’m never gonna get a solid skincare routine down ever again.” 

“You think  _ you’ve _ got somethin’ to complain bout beauty?” Sapphire snaps. She raises her furry arms to make a statement, “have you  _ seen _ me?”

To which Ruby has an immediate, very straightforward reply-- “excuse you, that is my line, have  _ you _ seen yourself? If you just looked in the mirror  _ one day _ you’d know just how much you actually rock that look, miss!” 

Silence. 

Then Wallace has to point out, “Ruby, that was a compliment. You know that, right?”

Sapphire’s face is beet red. “Wha--” she sputters, unable to believe what she was hearing. Did Ruby, the sommelier of good looks, just say Sapphire looked  _ good? _

“I said what I  _ said! _ ” Ruby snaps, and if someone looked close enough, they’d see the faint blush on his cheeks. “Geez, who do you think has been styling your entire look?” 

Sapphire throws a pillow at him. “You were complimenting  _ yourself?!” _

When Ruby chucks a pillow right back and they dissolve into a childish shout pillow throwing battle, the adults can’t help but chuckle at the sight. 

Ruby and Sapphire eventually shriek in pain as they jostle their injuries-- “oh,  _ now _ you feel the pain? Great. Stay down instead of roughhousing like brats”-- and they are pressed back into their beds so they could get their rest until they landed back on the mainland. 

There was no explanation for the situation-- it just was, and they were all coping with it differently, admirably, and honestly. 

There was nothing wrong with the situation. Just how you dealt with it, and how you grew with it. Ruby and Sapphire were perfect like this-- that fact was undeniable. 

They were strong, and they were beautiful. 

No one was allowed to tell them otherwise. 


End file.
